The Simpkins Family: The Folk Traditions of a Carroll County Family

Creator: Hunt, Hilary

: Simpkins, Shaffer

: Simpkins, Hestel

: King, Darlene

This project, by Hilary Hunt focused on family friends Shaffer and Hestel Simpkins. Ms. Hunt had known the Simpkins family most of her life, and wanted to gather and preserve stories of their values, practices, and compare them to modern standards. This interview is among projects created by students enrolled in English 446 (initially English 452), “Appalachian Folklore,” 1981-2019, and in graduate level counterparts English 548 and 648 “Appalachian Folk Culture(s)” offered 17 fall semesters between 1987 and 2009. Minimally contain collector’s introduction and analysis, transcribed informant interviews, and excerpted and labeled examples of oral, customary, and/or material folklore/folklife collected primarily within the Appalachian region. Most include also tables of contents, informant information, indexes (outlines) of interviews, photographs, miscellaneous paper items, and indexes of informants, genres, and geographic locations. Accompanying audio recordings (several minutes to 2+ hours). Transferred to McConnell Library Archives & Special Collections from Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center, Fall 2013.